1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system configured to receive a print document and perform plural processes applied to the received print document according to a print instruction attached to the received print document.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the print processing, an object document and a print instruction are entered together into a printer. To this end, a document dedicated to an instruction related to a printing method (e.g., two-sided print) can be used as an independent document combinable with the print object document. The document including the print-related instruction can be paired with the print object document and is generally referred to as an “instruction” or “job ticket.”
The job ticket can hold complicated print instructions and enables a printer to repeat the print processing according to a print method instructed by the job ticket. Furthermore, the job ticket enables a user to request a desirable final product (for example, “a book as a final product obtainable through bookbinding processing”) without considering the presence or functions of an actual print processing device. For example, the job ticket is usable in the following practical printing system.
A printing system receives a user's request with respect to a final product (e.g., a book) together with a print object document file (hereinafter, referred to as an “original document”). Next, a job ticket producing apparatus produces a job ticket describing the processes required for obtaining the final product, processing devices actually used, and the order of the required processes.
Then, the job ticket and the original document are sent together to a job management apparatus. The job management apparatus gives an instruction to each processing apparatus according to the attached job ticket, and produces the final product (e.g., a book) resulting from the original document.
In the above-described printing system, the original document entered by a user generally includes resource information, such as font information, embedded in the document, because the “resource information” is required to obtain an intended output result.
For example, if information relating to a font used is not embedded in a document and if the font is not installed on a printer, the printer is required to use an alternative font. As a result, a user cannot obtain an intended print result.
On the other hand, a user may input a document including no resource information embedded. In such a case, a job producing apparatus generally produces a job ticket including an instruction, such as “processing for embedding resource information into the document.” The produced job ticket and the original document are entered together into the job management apparatus.
As discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-246501, an image processing apparatus can delete font information (glyph information) embedded in a PDF (Portable Document Format) file, in the case of “direct printing”, so as to reduce the data size transmitted to a printer.
In general, the job management apparatus in the aforementioned printing system receives a “resource embedding original document” paired with a job ticket, or receives an original document including no embedded resource and a job ticket including an instruction such as “processing for embedding resource into a document.”
The processing of a resource embedded document can assure a print result as intended by a user. However, the file size tends to become larger because of the resource related data embedded in the original document. In other words, a heavy burden is placed on a communication path connecting respective processing devices. Furthermore, the processing time in each processing device becomes longer.
On the other hand, in an actual printing system, a resource embedded document is not always required in all processes. For example, a layout process and a smoothing process require no font resource, while a preview process and a printing process require (use) a font resource.
As understood from the foregoing description, it is desired to execute a resource embedding process immediately before starting a resource requiring (using) process, so as to reduce the document size in other preceding processes. In many processes, a small-size document (i.e., a document including no embedded resource) can be used.
In other words, embedding a required resource at optimum timing can improve the efficiency of the entire processing. However, the optimum timing varies depending on the contents of each workflow.
For example, when a workflow includes “color processing”, “trapping processing”, “tiling processing”, “imposition processing”, and “print processing” executed in this order, it is required to add “resource embedding processing” as a process to be executed immediately before starting the “print processing.” In other words, according to this workflow, only the “print processing” is a resource requiring process.
Furthermore, when a workflow includes “trapping processing”, “smoothing processing”, “preview processing”, “rendering processing”, and “print processing” executed in this order, it is required to add “resource embedding processing” as a process to be executed immediately before starting the “preview processing.” In other words, according to this workflow, both the “preview processing” and the “print processing” are resource requiring processes.
It is generally difficult for each end user to optimize the timing of the resource embedding processing in each workflow.
Therefore, a conventional job management apparatus simply inputs a resource embedded document, or inputs a job ticket not including “optimum resource embedding timing”, which varies with each workflow.